A VILLAGE pub in Longparish has won two major awards after battling through a difficult period of lockdown.

The Cricketers Inn in Longparish has won the National Good Food Award for Gastro Pubs as wells as Tripadvisor Choice award for its food and drinks.

The pub, which had been closed down for some time, was taken over by landlord Matt Etherington just before the lockdown in March 2020.

During the pandemic, the pub underwent a series of refurbishment, and has since been opened seven days a week.

Reacting to the award, Mr Etherington told the Advertiser that his staff and customers deserve the credits.

“I would like to thank Jack Barber and Pauline Dale, and everyone on the team at the Cricketers Inn for their hard work and support. And also a huge thank you to all of our customers,” Mr Etherington said.

“Having redecorated and refurbished the pub during lockdown, and providing excellent lockdown takeaways and a deli shop, we have been open seven days a week, building up a good reputation for excellent food and drinks - and evolving as we go along, with a hard-working team.

“We pride ourselves on using locally sourced ingredients where possible, creating seasonal dishes, with an emphasis on game, our famous whole baked fish as well as a few pub classics.

“We also have a wood-fired pizza oven, which operates on a Thursday evening, as well as our ever-popular Surf or Turf evenings on a Monday and Tuesday. As well as providing excellent cask ales and wines, we also offer cocktails – our new Barman starting in November is quite the mixologist.”